Pitch Red Fog
by Aoidistortion
Summary: Wynter has been selected to be a Chosen One; someone who must get rid of a Fog that is slowly killing everyone. But will Wynter, even with her unusual ability, be able to get rid of such an evil force? Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chance of a Lifetime

**Please note that most of these characters are mine, if you want to use them, it would be nice if you asked first.**

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Splashes were heard as Wynter ran like the wind through the pouring rain, her long brown hair trailing behind her like the colourful carpets being sold in the Capital. Even further down along the road, a mob of angry teenagers were chasing after her. Her breath was ragged, and her side felt as if she had been stabbed by a murderers' weapon. Each step was difficult for her, as her energy was running low. Every threat and taunts being thrown at her from behind did nothing but penetrate her mind and anger her.

Anger isn't exactly a good thing when one has the Inner Eye. Wynter gasped as her head began to throb painfully and unusual the feeling of emptiness swallowed her mind. Her normal brown eyes now had pink flecks in them, a big tell-tale about her ability. Rocks beside her floated upwards, surrounded in a pink aura. They threw themselves onto the crowd behind, hitting their heads, legs, body and arms. The crowd screamed, but the sound muffled by the storm. But to Wynter's ears it sounded like a huge temple bell being rung in the Coast.

"The witch is using her psychic powers!" one of the males cried.

"Freak!" said another.

"No wonder no one likes her." whispered a girl.

Wynter slowed down to a walk as the crowd behind her turned back, whispering and pointing, running away to find some shelter before the god of the cold sent down sickness. She struggled to keep her tears inside her, but as she finally stopped in front of her house, the tears poured down her face like rivers, the rain washing her pain as fat droplets fell on her face.

Wynter lived in the beautiful village of Xiafeng, meaning 'summer wind'. The name of the village was well-suited for the tiny village. No matter what season, what day, once every thirteenth hour, a hot wind would blow by. Even though it was a small village, but it was blessed with nature's beauty. The village sat on the base of a hill, surrounded by water. A small stream flows into the centre of the village, which was always used for washing clothes, and powers the rice mill needed for brewing the rice wine. If one headed up the hill, the road splits, in the centre was the Willow Inn, which only accepted the rich people. To the left you will arrive at the base of the great willow tree. If you headed to the right, you would arrive at a viewing platform overlooking the willow tree and the beautiful horizon.

Xiafeng had its share of rich visitors; they walked around with their heads high, showing off their bright silk dresses and clean black suits, laughing at the farmers who wore plain brown clothes. The owner of the Willow Inn had long decided that only the rich people could stay a night, and now he is also wealthy, walking around among the poor and spitting in their faces.

Wynter's house was near the young wine brewer's house, which meant they would sometimes receive bottles from her for our family without paying. As a child, she often played by herself in her small rice field in front of her house, which often resulted in a loud yell and beating from her step-parents. It wasn't fair, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Her parents died long ago, when she was only five years old. Her step-parents told her it was because of her unusual psychic abilities. Abilities like these were very rare, and the only the children of the Royal People in the Capital were known to have these strange abilities. She often believed her step-parents when they blamed her for her parents' death. At a very early age, Wynter sunk into a void of depression. Now sixteen years of age and free of her sadness, she sometimes looks back, and wonders if the void has really disappeared.

"Now, remember to get to school early and finish any homework, understood?!" yelled Wynter's step-mother.

"Yes, mother." she replied softly. She pulled on her sandals and walked out the door. She was greeted with the wine brewer, Cuifen. She smiled at her as she placed down the bottle of strong smelling rice wine.

"Good morning to you, Wynter. Off to your studies?" she asked politely.

"That's right."

"That's very nice. Enjoy your day." she flashed a smile before walking off towards her rice field.

Winter walked past the carrot farmer's carrot fields when she noticed a crowd of people around a sign. From afar she could see the royal seal of the Queen Yu. Wynter walked towards the crowd, pushing into the people. Some of the rich people growled as the one hundred and seventy centimetre girl pushed pass them, while some others politely moved aside for her. Wynter leaned in as she read the red ink on the paper, written by the Queen herself:

"_To the people of Xiafeng,_

_ I am sure you have all heard of the mysterious Red Fog that has been travelling through the many lands. Last year, the Fog has moved into the Capital. And we are in need of a Chosen One. Many Chosen Ones have been selected from a single village in my land. As the last Chosen One has failed, it is now Xiafeng's turn. One person, and one person alone, will be chosen by the willow tree's spirit. All who wish to try this quest shall go there at 6:00am sharp on the 4__th__ of May_

_I wish you the best of luck, Chosen One. _

– _Queen Yu"_

"The Red Fog? What's that?" a man said.

"You haven't heard of it? I heard it paralyses people if they breathe it in for too long," said one of the farmers.

"I heard whoever succeeds in getting rid of the Fog gets to marry the Prince or the Princess," whispered a richly clothed lady behind her.

"What?! Really?! Maybe I should go and try!"

The crowd dispersed, Wynter and a few of her class mates stayed behind. She read it a few more times before a grin appeared on her face. _What a perfect time to get away from my parents and get some air,_ she thought.

"Hey, freak girl. What's with the grin?" said a dirty blonde haired boy behind her.

"Bet you she's thinking of going." said he's friend. They both laughed. They pushed her harshly onto the dusty floor.

"She wouldn't even last a second!" said the dirty blonde haired boy. They walked off, laughing and throwing insults at her. Wynter stood up balled her fists and glared at them. When they were finally out of her sight, she sighed and brushed all the dust off, picked up her bag and continued her way.

As she was dismissed, she walked down the path and went to an old hut across the brewer's rice mill. The old warrior living inside smiled at her as she sat down and drew her silver dagger. Her dagger was at least twenty centimetres long, and its hilt was decorated with one shining ruby, and two serpents encircling around it, emerald green eyes gleaming.

"What is it? You seem very excited today." whispered the old man.

"I want to go and try for the quest. The one about the Red Fog." she said, her grin returning.

"Hm? Why do you want to participate in such a dangerous quest? Besides, you do not know much apart from making things float around."

"Exactly, going on this quest can make me stronger. Plus it will make me famous and rich, and I never have to come back here."

The warrior laughed aloud, "You have family here, do you not care for them?"

"No. They do not care for me, why should I care about them?"

"You parents may not care about you, but others do." he replied softly. He stood up slowly. "But if it is what you want, I cannot stop you. Come, let us practise."

Wynter's grin grew wider as she stood up, holding her dagger and preparing herself for tomorrow.

The following morning, when the sun had just awoken from its slumber and had decided to raise its great bright head over the mountains, Wynter snuck out a window, silently tip-toeing to the willow tree. Like a cat, she looked around and around, making sure her parents did not chase after her. She saw others, sleepily walking up the hill. She took a deep breathe and followed them.

The great willow tree lived up to its name. It was enormous, and even though the trunk was thin, it sprouted many branches, each drooping down as the leaves that grew from it weighed it down. The leaves were a delicate green, and just touched the ground. As the wind blew, the tree would give a sigh, its leaves following the wind's direction like cranes in the sky.

A line of people stood in front of the tree, many were exercising, in order to keep the cold away. Others just stood there, nervously looking around, eyes darting and shuddering. Wynter yawned, and sat down; she clasped her hands and began to pray, hoping to please the spirit.

As the sun finally rose over the mountain, the willow tree began to glow. The leaves began to glow brighter and brighter, and the leaves fell off the thin branches, swirling to the front of the tree, then began whirling round and round, forming a small leafy tornado. A handful of people ran away, screaming like little children. The more determined ones stood there, transfixed at the wonder in front of them. The leaves swirled and twirled like a ballerina, before forming into a small hand. It waved a greeting, and moved around the line of people, sometimes giving them a light jab, which often gave people panic or heart attacks. The hand reached Wynter's face, and it circled her. The hand rose above her head, and all the leaves fell over her, disappearing and reappearing on the tree. The tree gave a sigh, as if nothing had ever happened. Everyone stared at her, she grinned shyly, before dashing off down the hill, jumping and laughing like a madman. She threw the door to her house wide open, only to see her stepmother waiting for her, with an evil glare on her face.

"Why were you at the willow tree?!" yelled her step-mother.

Wynter cowered, "Um…I wanted to partic-"

"WHAT?! Do you know how young you are? Do you realize the amount of creepy men out there?" continued her step-mother.

"Give her a –hic, break. She won –hic anyway –hic," mumbled her drunken step-father. Cuifen's bottle of rice wine sat on the table on its side, wine dripping out of it and onto the dusty floor. His wife glared at her but didn't continue her rant. Wynter sobbed and stood up, brushing off the dust. She picked up her small bag and her dagger and walked out the door, not casting them a second glance.

"SURPRISE!"

She blinked, and then burst into a fit of laughter. The local farmers and their children, as well as Cuifen and the village elder and his wife were at their doorstep, smiling and laughing with their tear-stained face.

"Congratulations! Wynter!" said one of the farmers, Lynn.

"Have a safe trip!" said one of the little children.

Cuifen smiled at her and passed her a small wrapped object. "It's some fresh mandarins, just in case you ever get hungry." Wynter took them, wiping a tear from her face with the back of her hand.

"Thank you, everyone…thank you so much." she cried.

She turned towards the exit of the village, smiling as the people's cheering echoed in her head.

Yet, why was there a little spot of doubt in her mind?


	2. Purple Eyed Hood

**Please note that most of these characters are mine, if you want to use them, it would be nice if you asked first.**

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Wynter looked up at the sturdy, large red gate to Neeru Forest, her red and black skirt fluttering in the wind. Even with her black long coat, stockings, traveling boots and red dragon patterned bell sleeve shirt, she still felt cold. The gate was placed in front of a huge cave, which had a sweet-scented air coming from the other side. Wynter remembered the Old Stories that the elders told the children about, the red gates were special in their own way; it meant that you were entering a place where a new god or goddess was watching over. For example, back at Xiafeng, the protector of the village was Tu Di Gong, god of the earth. Here in NeeruForest, the protector was Hsi Wang Mu, goddess of cures. She played a big part in the forest; she made the air and water sweet, and a good place for the ill. Wynter shuddered as she remembered a story where someone had tried to sabotage the old ruins in the forest dedicated to the goddess, and in the end he turned into a patch of grass.

_Maybe I shouldn't go on this quest after all…_ Wynter thought._ I'm not even brave enough to go to the City by myself! No way I can go there and get rid of this Red Fog. Dammit! Why did I have to be so stupid! _She sighed deeply and turned around, walking slowly towards her village, feeling horrible about herself.

"Come back here! You filthy little robber, you…you bastard!" yelled a man.

Wynter blinked, and stared as her stepfather, with his face red and his pot belly jiggling, chased after a young man who was holding several bottles of Cuifen's rice wine. The man saw her and grinned; he skidded to a halt and hid behind her, smiling mischievously.

"Wynter? Is that you? Wait…are you two…" he looked at the man behind her and back, his eyes narrowing by the second.

"Wait...what?! I don't even know her!" yelled the man from behind.

"You are a horrible liar! I bet Wynter told you the ways of stealing! You wanted my precious, precious wine!" her stepfather' spit gathering around his mouth.

Wynter stared at him, what madness he was spouting! She didn't even know who he was; much less teach him anything about stealing. The young man looked at her confused expression and chuckled softly. With a finger to his mouth, he melted away into the shadows of the nearby trees. Like a tamed temple cat, he snuck behind her stepfather, who was now jumping up and down and yelling at her about her 'new mysterious, not even attractive boyfriend.' The young man carefully tip-toed behind the shouting madman, raised a wine bottle, and brought it down on his skull. Her stepfather's eyes widened, and with a moan, crumpled to the floor. The man laughed and ran towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the dark cave.

"C'mon! He's going to be mad if he finds you're still here when he comes to," he said in a very cheerful voice. He had a very girlish sort of voice, but sometimes he had a certain roughness in his tone.

Wynter stared at him as she let herself to be pulled past the scared gate and into the cave, the man had strange purple eyes, and his hair was the colour of the sweet the rich people called 'caramel'. His hair was all over the place, and stuck up at the back, and with his childish face and that mischievous grin, she was instantly reminded of a young teenage troublemaker. But after looking at his height, he seemed more of an older teen, or maybe he had already reached adulthood. He wore a dusty, long and black hooded cloak, it fell down to around his ankles, and she saw that he was wearing long black boots that were mostly covered by straps with gold buckles.

The other side of the cave had a sight to behold, the forest was surrounded by tall and proud cliffs, and several separate caves were dotted along the sides, waterfalls loudly pouring out from it. NeeruForest, since a long time ago, had been flooded. Small islands rose from the clear water, and tall green trees grew from these small islands. Logs had been halved to make stable bridges so people didn't have to swim. In the center of the forest in the water was a dark blue patch. This was known as the Abyss, legend says the pit was never ending, and a huge fish lived in the depths, waiting for a worthy fisherman to catch it. To the right of the Abyss were the Neeru Ruins, it was a sacred area dedicated to the goddess of the cures, and the entrance was shut tight to prevent trespassers and thieves, the key was said to be thrown into the Abyss and into the stomach of the huge fish, who had swallowed it. In the north-eastern side of the forest lay a rather large patch of land, where a few straw huts stood, the villagers were proud fishermen, who had dedicated their lives to catching fish and selling their meat by trading for skins and other necessary items.

The man let go of her hand and stretched, yawning and looking around the grand NeeruForest. The sky was steadily growing orange, Wynter was about turn and continue her journey when-

"Come on, let's go find somewhere to sleep."

"…What."

"Hmm? Oh, right," he grinned at her. "Call me Hood, and before you say anything, I'm going to tell you I'll be a great asset to your adventure."

"How did you know I was eve-"

"Oh please,_ everyone_ knows," he rolled his strange coloured eyes.

"Right…" she mumbled. _Well, there's no turning back now. Might as well take him along, who knows, he might actually do some good. Then when this quest is over, I'll pretend he had nothing to do with it and take all the glory for myself, _she thought to herself as she settled down on the soft cold floor of one of the islands in floating in the Neeru River.

The night flew by in a blur, some of the locals found the two sitting in one of their islands and kindly offered a few fish, which they roasted by a small makeshift fire. They were also given several thin blankets. Soon they were curled comfortably on the floor with small pillows made from leaves and had blankets wrapped tightly around them. Hood had taken off his cloak to use it as an extra blanket, and Wynter saw his full attire for the first time. He wore a black sleeveless vest-like shirt that had golden lines criss-crossing at the bottom, and had strange gold patterns around and near the collar. His right shoulder was bare, starting from his right triceps was a black fingerless glove, and his other arm was wrapped tightly in white bandages. His shirt was tucked in his gray long puffy pants, which were held up by his yellow sash. A purple wine gourd hung from his waist. Wynter blinked as a sudden flash of gold appeared as he was pouring Cuifen's wine into his gourd, Wynter stared at his neck, and saw a gold chain around it, both ends dangled free on his back. Wynter also noticed a curious hexagonal lump right under his collarbones, but she wasn't brave enough to ask him.

The moon was high and the air was cold when they finally settled down to sleep. Wynter heard him mumble 'goodnight', but before she could even reply he was already snoring away. She sighed to herself, and pulled the blanket over her head, closing her eyes and praying for a good dream.

Wynter's eyes snapped open in the middle of the night. Her blanket had somehow travelled to her waist. She drew her blanket higher, up to her chin. She shuddered and tried to think of warm things like beds with three layers of quilts and warm hearty fires.

_Thunk._

She sat up immediately, hands on her dagger. On the floor was a hexagonal piece of wood, it was richly decorated with red and gold, and it probably had something in the centre of the material, but it was blocked out with two thick black claw marks. Beside it was Hood's hand, which was slightly open. _He was probably looking at it or something, _she thought, she was tempted to pick it up and examine it, but then she remembered that she really shouldn't take other people's things, especially not strangers. She pushed it into his hands and lay back down, finally getting some sleep.

Wynter woke up to the sound of loud laughter; she sat up and rubbed her eyes, letting them adjust to the sun's light. She turned and saw Hood and a fisherman deep in a conversation and sharing wine. He looked up and saw that she was awake and grinned. "Finally! I swear, I thought you were dead or something," he said.

"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes and pulled on her long coat, smiling at the warmth.

"Come on, we should be in the Coast by now."

"I don't know my way around the forest…" she stared at the wine gourd and looked back up at him, "…drunken old man."

Hood blinked, and then laughed aloud. "Is THAT my nickname? How cute," He looked at her. He smiled evilly and stroked his imaginary long beard, "Well then, you'll be…Grumpy." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the log to the next island. "Come on, Grumpy. We better get to the Coast, and fast!"

After several minutes of jumping and just narrowly avoiding the deep fall into the Abyss, they had arrived at the large patch of land where the villagers lived; they ran through the town, and the villagers that were up early preparing to fish waved and shouted their goodbyes. They ran to the west side of the town, where a fast flowing river was rushing past. A huge hollowed log was placed on top of the old broken bridge, so fisherman could go into the Coast to catch more exotic fish. One by one, they both crossed the dark tunnel, and looked up at the red gate that proudly stood in front of them. A name was engraved near the top of the gate: 'Feng-Po-Po'.

"Isn't she the goddess of the winds?" asked Wynter.

"Yes, she's the reason why the ships deliver their goods so quickly. I heard that this was a good fishing place as well," he replied.

They both stepped through the gate, and the trees parted, revealing another yet breath taking sight.

ChimeCoast was a large landscape that was surrounded by mountainous areas, and it was well known as the best way in to deliver goods to the Capital. The coast also harboured a beach connecting to the Ocean, which held many visitors in different lands as well as mysterious sunken boats and treasure. At the centre the Coast was a tall hill, known as the Chime Hill. Up in the hill was BellTemple, which was a very special temple where many monks lived, waking up every morning and praying to their gods and goddesses and ringing their famous Heavenly Bell. Legend says that people who heard the resounding ring of the bell was blessed with good fortune for the day.

"You ready?" said Hood suddenly. "I feel as if something bad is going to happen."

Wynter looked up at him, and saw that his normally bright eyes were dark and calculating, as if he was trying to see what was going to happen next.

"Yes."


End file.
